Google Drops Lawsuit Against Mississippi Attorney General

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"The Attorney General and Google endeavor to collaborate in addressing the harmful consequences of unlawful and/or dangerous online content," states a court filing.

Google took Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood to court to protect itself from an investigation into how it facilitates the distribution of illegal content and goods — but now the Internet giant is backing down, according to a Wednesday court filing.

Details are slim as to why Google opted to settle the lawsuit, but it seems the two sides have made amends.

"The Attorney General and Google endeavor to collaborate in addressing the harmful consequences of unlawful and/or dangerous online content," states the stipulation of dismissal.

This comes after the 5th Circuit in April overturned Google's victory in the lower court. That decision didn't weigh the merits of Hood's subpoena of Google but rather found the controversy not ripe and that the injunction covered a "fuzzily defined range of enforcement actions that do not appear imminent."

The legal battle started as an unexpected side effect of the Sony Hack. Leaked emails revealed the MPAA was working with state attorneys general to crack down on sites like Google that make access available to third-party sides offering illegal content like pirated movies.

In March 2015, a Mississippi federal judge granted an injunction to stop Hood's investigation, finding "interference with Google’s judgment ... would likely produce a chilling effect on Google’s protected speech."

While the final round was a loss for Google, the end result is a win. The court filling indicates Hood has withdrawn the subpoena that Google was challenging with the suit.

The claims are dismissed without an award of costs to either party.

Attorneys for Google and Hood did not immediately respond to a request for comment.